Patience Patient
by Meibou
Summary: AU. Hinata’s the new intern at Konoha’s Psychiatric Facility. What crazy people shall she meet there? Some hot ones at the least. Hina X GaaSasuIta and some onesided stuff. Hiatus.
1. First Day, Part I

Wow. Another story. Made to avoid doing my homework. So. This one will be updated in random spurts.

Not quite sure how the pairing will turn out, but it'll be Hinata and either Gaara, Sasuke, or Itachi (NOT Naruto, sorry, maybe a small crush, but nothing much). And of course, one-sided stuff with Sakura and Ino obsessing over Sasuke. And some Neji and Tenten friendliness.

And disclaimer applies to the whole: I don't own Naruto (the series). AR (alternate reality, set about now)

Rated: T (as a precaution, but I don't think too much bad stuff will happen)

Summary: AR Hinata's the new intern at Konoha's Psychiatric Facility. What crazy people shall she meet there? Some hot ones at the least. Hina X Gaa/Sasu/Ita

**Patience Patient**

Hinata nervously checked her watch, tapping her foot slightly as she bounced up and down slightly on the bus. She couldn't be late- but not too early either. Not on her first day. Not quite done with college, her resume had been accepted. _Oh gods, I hope I don't screw up,_ she thought as she got off at her stop, walking two blocks to stand in front of the glass doors to a large, tan, concrete building.

Konoha Psychiatric Facility

She exhaled, trying to calm herself so that she'd appear a bit more… professional. She was wearing black suede flats, loose black slacks, and a silver-grey collared shirt with a white wool coat over it all. Everything was chosen to look organized, but to still be comfortable.

She shivered slightly- quite cold, and it was only mid November. Hinata pushed the sliding doors, walking past the guards next to the exit to go to the front desk. She swallowed, remembering to try not to stutter.

"Hello. I'm here to see Dr. Hatake," Hinata managed to say, very quietly though. But the lobby was practically silent, so she was (thankfully) heard.

"Seventh floor, elevator's over there." The middle-aged woman pointed to Hinata's right. "His wing is on the left. You'll see his secretary, and she'll direct you from there."

"Thank you." She ducked her head slightly in gratitude. She followed the directions, walking over and stepping into an already occupied elevator. She pressed the button so that it lit up, and stepped back as the steel doors closed, unconsciously standing with her back to the wall, facing the other briefly.

The man was about her age, she nervously observed, smiling a little out of politeness. Dark bangs framed his face, and his hair was spiky in the back. Very pale skin and dark eyes. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and jeans, with a black wool coat to complete the dark attire. His looks could get him any girl, she noted, managing to hide her blush.

"Seventh floor?"

"Hunh?" Hinata was startled at his voice. Elevator rides were usually silent, especially with strangers- like an unbroken rule. "Ah, y-yes. You too I guess?" she mumbled, for lack of anything better to say.

"Obviously." He glared a little at her. "Don't worry. You'll hate it."

She shrank back a little, closer to the wall, gripping the handle of her briefcase harder. _Please, why does this have to be a slow elevator?_ She thought frantically, scared slightly. This guy exuded an aura which made her tremble slightly in fear. "Uh… if you don't mind me asking… why?"

A snort. "You'll learn soon enough."

A small ringing noise was emitted, and the elevator doors slid open swiftly. He pushed away from the wall, swiftly walking out, leaving Hinata behind. She was still a little shocked and scared, but managed to run out before the elevator doors caught her. The man had disappeared, for which she was very thankful.

_Hopefully I won't meet him again._ She turned left, walking slowly down the navy-carpeted halls. The hall opened up into a waiting room with a nice view of the park, and she stopped for a moment to admire it.

"And who might you be?"

Hinata turned around with a small noise of surprise, seeing a woman sitting behind a dark brown desk. She had her hair tied up in two neat buns, and was wearing a pale pink, sleeveless shirt with a high collar and miniature gold buttons down the front. Her chocolate eyes sparkled a little as she smiled kindly, twirling her pen in one hand as she looked away from her computer. "Well?"

"Oh, um, Hyuuga Hinata."

"New patient? Oh, you can hang up your coat in the closet. He'll be with you in a minute-"

"N-no, I-I'm the new intern that Yuuhi-san recommended. I uh, was told to meet Hatake-san at ten."

"Ah, that explains why you're here." She grinned. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tenten." She waved her hand nonchalantly at her nameplate on the edge of the desk. "You can still hang your coat up- it's pretty warm in here."

"Alright." Obeying, she unbuttoned her white coat off, taking a hanger and placing it on the metal rack. But she kept her briefcase with her, though it didn't have much. Just her papers, and some stuff for her college classes.

"I doubt he's with a patient, but I'll see if he's available." She picked up her phone, pressing and holding a number down, waiting for a minute. "Hey Kakashi, the new girl Kurenai suggested is here. Yeah, Hyuuga Hinata. Alright, I'll send her in." She put it down. "You're good to go. Door right over there, the first one."

She was surprised at the informality Tenten addressed the doctor. "Thank you very much."

"No problem!" A wink. "Good luck! I remember my first day." She giggled.

_That doesn't make me feel any better…_ Hinata walked to the door, knocking politely. Once hearing a muffled 'come in' she entered, peering into the room. "Ano… Hatake-san?"

"Please, you don't have to be so formal. Just Kakashi will do." The doctor was in a white coat, with an olive turtleneck, and had a mask covering the entire bottom half of his, but at the same time, only one eye could be seen. A metal plate with the insignia of the Konoha on a cloth band was covering his left eye. His hair was silver-grey, but he wasn't old (around thirty she guessed). He moved a pile of papers out of the way, motioning to the chair in front of his desk. "A pleasure to meet you Hinata-san. I've heard a lot of good things about you."

She blushed a little, flustered by his compliment. "Ah, thank you Hat- Kakashi-san." She sat down in the chair, sitting up straight, albeit nervously, not leaning back. She was too fidgety, glancing around his comfortable, somewhat messy office.

"So, do you have any history of counseling and such? Or is this your first internship."

"It's my first. Th-though my friends always say I'm… uh… never mind," she muttered.

Kakashi smiled. Not that she could see his face, but it just felt like he smiled, and she was reassured. "I'm not going to start you on counseling right away. I'd like you to meet the patients, and do some paperwork to get accustomed around here, and then I'll move you onto interacting with the patients more and finally counseling some. It might feel a little slow at first, but the office always has a lot of excitement, so I don't think you'll be bored. Does that sound good with you?"

Hinata nodded, glad that he was going to take things slow with her, but still worried about the tasks she would have to do. _He seems very nice though… I'll be fine, I'll be fine…_

"My ward has some long term patients, and some that will come in and out. But we help people who are particularly violent become… less so, to the point where it's more tolerable I suppose."

_What? I didn't know that! I should've listened to Kurenai-sensei!_ Things suddenly got a lot worse. She was feeling a little light-headed, the nervousness and the sudden news of the type of patients she would be interacting with was getting to her. She smiled a little nervously, feeling Kakashi's sharp gaze study her a little more closely.

"You're going to have to sign some papers, confidentiality and such. But-" he pushed back from his desk, standing, with Hinata hurriedly following his example "-I'm glad to have you join us here Hyuuga-san."

"N-no, thank you for allowing me to work here," she managed to get out, bowing a little. "I-I really appreciate-"

The door swung open, banging against the wall, interrupting her. She jumped a little, turning around to see the man from the elevator, standing in the doorway and scowling.

Kakashi sighed. "Sasuke, couldn't you have waited a little longer?" He didn't get an answer though; the other was busy staring at Hinata, as the older man noticed. "Ah. This is Hyuuga Hinata-san. She's the new intern."

Sasuke grunted. "My appointment was an hour ago."

"But I was wandering down the path of life-"

"Whatever."

"I-I'm sorry for disturbing you, I'll leave now," Hinata muttered, edging towards the door nervously, keeping her gaze down. Away from this 'Sasuke'. He stepped away from the door, allowing her to escape.

"Don't worry bout Sasuke, he's just being grumpy as usual," called out Kakash, tone cheery. "Tenten will show you around, meet some of the patients. Have fun Hinata!"

---

Ho hum. Reviews. I like. Do it. When I see a thousand hits to my page, but only 12 reviews, it angers me greatly.


	2. First Day, Part II

Thanks for your reviews everyone x though I don't usually respond (quite lazy like that), I really appreciate them.

**Patience Patient**

"Here you go." Tenten slid a two-foot high stack of papers onto a chair, moving several more from a cluttered desk to more chairs on the side. The small desk Hinata had been given was near the window, opposite from the other girl's desk. It was scratched and had little storage space, but she didn't mind at all.

"Usually Kakashi and I just use it as extra surface area… I keep on telling him that we need more filing cabinets, but he doesn't bother." She snorted. "He's lazy like that, but you'll get used to it. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, you'll get a laptop (provided by the facilities of course) so that you can eventually work with the computerized files. For now… you'll have to just do paperwork. I'll take you around the building when we have a lunch break."

Hinata nodded, gingerly sitting down in the swivel chair behind the desk. "Ah… Tenten-san, do you want me to help with anything?"

"Hm…" The brown-haired girl tapped her pen against her pursed lips, looking at the files. "Since you signed the confidentiality forms, is it alright if I have you sort these?" She motioned towards the recently moved piles. "These files have the profiles of all the patients we have seen in the past year. We sort them according to what level their violence has started at, and what it is last we saw them. There are five levels, and in each of those levels, we order it by alphabetical order."

"Uh…"

Tenten sighed, going over to her desk to rifle through it. Coming back over, she placed a piece of paper in front of Hinata. "Here, this will help you. It's pretty easy once you start."

"A-Alright, I think I know what to do," Hinata said quietly. The other nodded, returning to her desk to start typing away furiously at the computer. She sighed, studying the contents of the sheet:

_Levels (5) of Disorder (Violence)_

_Violet:_

_Patient is very easily agitated, and is very uneasily relaxes or calms down when provoked. Patient reacts suddenly and viciously, and lashes out at object of rage or object closest to them. Patient is usually emotionally unstable or unable to control their emotions, and shows very little regret for harming others, or goes out of one's way to abuse others._

_Green:_

_Patient has certain subjects that will provoke them, and it may take some time to calm them down, or attempts to sooth patient will backfire. Reactions can be sudden, and are usually vicious, but most times patient attacks the offending object or person only. Patient_

_Red:_

_Patient is provoked _

_Patient only attacks someone physically when reasonably provoked, but never goes out of their way to harm someone excessively. There are warnings that prelude an attack, though patient can usually be calmed._

_Yellow:_

_Patient tries to restrain themselves when rarely provoked, but reactions are easily predicted, and they can usually be calmed when angered. Patients tend to not resort to physical abuse, and have learned to ignore most subjects/objects/people that provoke them._

_White:_

_Patient is sufficiently treated or their disorder was minor, and no longer requires therapy_.

Hinata picked up one of the huge stacks of files, opening the folder to glance over the profile. She noticed the small box of color on the left corner, right above the name of the patient. _This shouldn't be too hard…_ She placed Takahashi, Ryota to the left side of the desk, sorting the files into piles, one at a time.

By the time she was done with the majority of the many piles, two more had come to take their seat in the waiting area, not sparing her a glance. One had a high-collared coat on, hands folded calmly on his lap. His eyes were hidden behind small, black shades, but she'd expect them to be staring into space at the opposite wall; he was completely calm, and immersed in his thoughts. A small fly buzzed near his ear, landing on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to mind or notice.

The other waiting was in a hooded coat, dark fur trimming the edges of the bottom, the sleeves, and the top. It seemed worn, a little dirty, and only made the man seem wilder. He was out of place in the pristine, white office, shifting in his chair, and occasionally getting up to drink some water, or to look further out the window to view the trees below. His eyes were dark and small, shifting around to see if the others in the room would do something, obviously bored.

She sighed, flipping through the files to break the pace, making sure that she didn't go crazy from the boredom of paperwork. She reread their names and ranks inside her head, resuming the sorting. _Yellow- Inuzuka Kiba, white- Sabaku Temari, green- Kaguya Kimimaro, yellow- Aburame Shino, violet- Sabaku Gaara, yellow- Tsuchi Kin, red- Uzumaki Naruto, violet- Uchiha-_

"S-Sasuke?"

"Hm? Did you say something Hinata?" Tenten asked, glancing away from her computer.

The other just shook her head, mumbling quietly that it was no big deal, or something along those lines. Her white eyes skimmed quickly over the file, quickly trying to absorb as many facts as she could. _Now I remember why his name's familiar… He's the heir to the Uchiha Corporation, the one the Hyuuga compete with._ Her eyes widened as she read about the incident that had landed him in Konoha Psychiatric Facility to begin with. _He…_

The door to Kakashi's office slammed shut, the sound reverberating and startling her. With a squeak, she dropped the folder on her desk, quickly glancing over. Sasuke had just come out, evidently annoyed. He shot Hinata a glare, which she broke down under, cowering in fear and a tinge of guilt. He snarled, passing by the desk and storming out of the office, leaving behind a tense air.

She exhaled, sliding his file into the correct place on the pile. "Uh… Tenten-san? I-I'm finished sorting these." The other grinned cheerfully, bouncing over to thank Hinata, telling her that she herself would've taken a week or so and that she did a good job. She only responded with a blush, nodding quietly in shy embarrassment at the compliments.

"Kiba, you can go ahead, Kakashi's probably waiting for you," Tenten called to the one with the fang-like markings on his cheek.

"Alright!" He said with a grin, mostly filled with relief, leaping up. "Akamaru, wake up! We're going!" A small white lump under his chair stirred; a pale dog had been slumbering under his chair all the while. She only wondered whether or not dogs were allowed in the building. It barked, leaping up into the man's arms. He practically ran into the office, impatient to finish with his appointment.

Tenten grinned, laughing a little. "The same as ever, eh Shino?" She turned to the other, who nodded in response and rose slowly from his seat. "I haven't seen you in a while, you've been alright?"

"Yes. This is our last appointment."

"Really? I'm so glad that you two are going to be white." Her eyes softened a little, understanding. "Ah, by the way, this is Hinata." She patted Hinata on the head affectionately. "New intern."

She glanced up, startled. "O-Oh, um… hello." She turned red, ducking her head. _Going white? So that means he doesn't have to come to therapy at this office anymore. I'm glad… he seems nice._ She smiled a little.

His head shifted oh so slightly, his glasses gleaming and flashing with the shine of the florescent lighting as he examined her. "A pleasure," he said, bland and minimally polite as one could be. He obviously didn't play with words, straight to the point.

Tenten laughed. "Once you and Kiba are done, let's go to lunch," she suggested, checking her watch. "It's pretty light today… Kakashi's definitely going to let us go out. I haven't caught up with you guys in ages!"

"A group lunch is at two. They won't mind if she comes along."

Her mood changed, more brightened and vivacious than usual. "Really?! That's great- I was going to show Hinata around anyways!" She laughed. "Oh yeah, do you like ramen Hinata?"

"Um… yes?" She blinked, confused at the question. "Why?"

"You'll see."

---

I introduced Kiba and Shino, partly because I thought you all would be surprised that they had violence disorders, and partly because I'm a little hesitant on how to do Gaara and Itachi (which are the two most anticipated ones, I think at least). And this chapter was kind of like a filler.

Review.


	3. First Day, Part III

**Patience Patient**

The walk to the group meeting had been enjoyable. Kiba enthusiastically asked Hinata about herself, and in return talking about himself and Shino, as the other was relatively silent. Tenten occasionally joined in, relating with the other about college and some high school memories. All three were apparently old friends. Hinata laughed often over the recounts of their tales of adventure, mistake, and mischief.

She blinked owlishly as they entered through the polished glass doors of a brightly lit ramen bar, bells announcing their entrance, loud and busy with chatter and gossip. Kiba led the way to the end of the bar, where a large group of people were sitting together, a couple of spots saved between them and the wall. "Hey! Look who we found!" he called, motioning to the two girls in front of Shino.

"Good to see you guys!" a loud blond yelled, waving from his position in the center. A pink haired girl, who hit him, reprimanded him for being too loud inside. Next to her was a blond, who was busy talking to a man with a spiky ponytail and a chubby one with two clumps of hair sticking out of his hat. One dressed in green was shouting over these people to the pink haired girl, the subject being something along the lines of 'his undying love'. A man with dark face paint came next, and then a girl, whose hairstyle consisted of four blond bunches of hair sticking out from her head. "Who's the girl?" he asked, bluntly curious.

"Naruto! You're such a rude jerk!" the girl beside him snapped, whapping him again. "Couldn't you be more polite?!"

"But Sakura-chan, I-!"

Tenten laughed a little at the group's antics, interrupting Naruto's excuse. "You guys, this is Hinata. Hinata, that's Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Kankuro, and Temari." A chorus of greetings were issued, most cheerful, and some accompanied by smiles. She grinned, sitting next to Temari. Hinata followed, and then came Kiba and Shino.

Tenten traded a small joke with Temari, laughing and swinging on the stool (the tops swiveled slightly). She frowned a moment later. "Where are Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara?"

"Gaara's here already, just making a call," the other girl responded, a languid expression on her face.

"Sasuke refused to come. But your boyfriend might come later, Tenten," Ino piped in. The expression on Tenten's face changed, becoming an ever more cheerful grin.

Hinata listened to the conversation, fascinated. They accepted her relatively well for a stranger. She found out that they had gone through all of high school with each other, except for Temari and Kankuro, who were siblings, as well as a 'Gaara'. They were all only a year apart in grade and most were in the same year.

_I didn't know Sasuke is a friend to them… And what's strange is that… some of their names seem familiar…_ Hinata frowned a little in hard thought. _Maybe I've just heard of them in passing…_

"Gaara! What took you so long?! Did you fall in or something?" Naruto yelled at an approaching man.

He glanced down at the grinning blonde. "I was making a call," he said, tone flat, albeit annoyed at the joke. He sat down in the empty spot next to Naruto, calmly returning the kind glances the others gave him with his own vacant stare, and they returned to their conversations.

He had bright red hair, a showy crimson. His eyes were rimmed with a thick line of black, its look similar to that of kohl or some other eye-lining beauty product. His irises were light, on the contrary, a shade of blue, green, and tints of grey mixed together. His hair covered only part of a red tattoo, which she couldn't make out at the moment from her angle. He was pale, so pale; that was why all his unique features stood out, making him a noticeably attractive guy.

Hinata blushed a little, just managing to restrain it before others saw, however. She distracted herself by immersing herself in another conversation with Kiba and Shino; they were very nice and best friends with each other, and she couldn't help feeling a tad jealous.

She discovered that Shino was a scientist, and he traveled far researching the development of insects, collecting them as well; he had a particular interest in Kikai bugs (an old legend stating that they fed off humans' energy) and thought that they were one of the most highly developed bugs.

Kiba was a mix of a dog breeder and some kind of vet- she was a little confused about his explanation. He traveled with Shino a lot, always taking Akamaru with him, picking up different species of dogs, releasing some into the wild. He didn't really have a defined profession, but just did what he wanted most of the times, and mooching off Shino a lot.

Her phone started to ring, interrupting the conversation. Embarrassed, she scoured her bag for the device, mumbling soft apologies all the while. She snatched it up, and slid out of the seat, rushing out of the ramen bar, for better reception and for traditional phone-in-restaurant etiquette, mostly centered on the privacy of her family's business. She made it out to the doorway, finally opening the cell on the last ring.

"Moshi-moshi?"

_"Hinata-sama."_

She was glad that it was her closest cousin, not her father, or her sister, or any other of the members of the Branch part of the family fun Hyuuga Company. He was the only one she was comfortable around. "Neji-Nii?"

_"Where are you? I called Hatake-san's office, but he said that you had gone out for you lunch break."_

She could feel the concern in his voice. "I'm fine. I went out to a nearby ramen bar with Tenten and her friends. Hatake-san let us."

_"Tenten?"_

"Ah, yes. Is something wrong?"

_"Nothing."_ His tone was different, with a slight tone of amusement. _"Do you have the day off after your lunch?"_

"Uh… yes, Hatake-san is very kind; he has a gradual plan to get me used to the psychiatric ward. Though Tenten is expected back at the office."

_"Then I'll pick you up, since I'm free today."_

"Wait, do you need the name of-"

_"No."_ Neji hung up, leaving her more than a little surprised. She stared at the phone in her hand. How would he know where she was? She frowned to herself, knowing that her cousin was usually not this rash or unheeding. He must have a reason.

"I told you already. I refuse to sign the deal." Hinata jumped a little, surprised to hear Gaara's voice behind her. She heard the low static hum of a response from the person on the other end. She wondered whether to walk past him, making it obvious that she could hear, or to awkwardly stay. She settled with pretending to send a text message, remaining in her place.

"Baki, your incompetence is intolerable. I'll talk to my father later." She could sense that frown in his voice, accompanying the aggressive snarls of his words. "The current Kage has gone senile. I'm the one replacing him, and you will listen to what I say." She heard the phone being closed with a light tap. She didn't look up, still turned away and hoping that he'd not notice her. When she didn't hear anything, she closed her cell as well, looking up. Only to see a silent Gaara glaring at her.

"Keep quiet," he growled.

"A-ah, sorry-"

He had left already, leaving her feel colder than she actually was, even though she didn't have her warm coat on to guard against the biting wind near the entrance. She waited several moments before entering the café again.

"Hinata!" Tenten smiled as Shino and Kiba slid out of their seats again so that she could enter. "What took you so long? I got you a bowl of small ramen; I didn't think you'd be like Naruto and inhale five, while still asking for more."

"Thank you." She broke the chopsticks apart, mumbling the appropriate pre-meal saying before slowly starting to eat. She nearly burned her tongue on the broth at the first bite, and waited a little, blowing on it like most of the others. Naruto, however, ate one bowl in the process of her taking ten bites and slurps; she was awed and disgusted at the achievement at the same time.

A jangle of the bells, and Tenten looked up again, her hopeful expression growing happy. "Neji! You're here!"

"Only for a little, I'm here to pick up my cousin." The white-eyed prodigy nodded, acknowledging the group all at once as they smiled, greeting him amiably enough.

Hinata choked slightly besides the secretary, barely managing to swallow the scalding noodles, continuing to cough for a little. The surprise of Neji's arrival and the majority of stares were rather overwhelming. Kiba patted her on the back as she tried to still her coughs, handing her a glass of water, which she accepted. "I-I'm ready." She pushed her bowl away, fishing a couple of bills out to pay for her share of the ramen. "Th-Thank you very much, everyone, for letting me dine with you."

She received a reply of cheerful "no problem!" and grins. She smiled, slipping on her coat and grabbing her bag, exiting the ramen bar, Neji following. But she thought she saw him touch Tenten's shoulder briefly as he passed by. She also heard the after talk; some (Naruto, Sakura, Chouji, Ino, and Kiba mainly) were surprised that the two of them were related; she found this strange because most would distinguish the Hyuuga via their exclusive white eyes.

"H-How did you manage to find me, Neji-nii?" Hinata got in the front passenger seat of Neji's grey-blue Sudan, putting her bag in the backseat and buckling her seatbelt.

"I was invited to that group outing. And I've gone to that ramen bar before… Naruto is obsessed with Ichiraku's." Neji smirked getting in the driver's seat and starting the engine. He pulled away, heading for the apartment he and Hinata shared.

"You know them?"

"Some of us were together in high school; all of us were together by sophomore year of college." He smiled ever so slightly. "We're old friends." He stopped at the intersection, glancing at his cousin, a bit of sadness tingeing his visage. "You would have gone to the same high school and college as us, Hinata-sama… except Hiashi chose to send you away to study."

"Ah… that's too bad then." She fiddled with one of the buttons of her coat absentmindedly. "Uh, Neji-nii, did Uchiha Sasuke go to the same high school as well?"

His lips tightened, but he didn't state his obvious question of "why do you ask?" sparing his cousin. "Sasuke stayed in our high school as a freshman and sophomore; he disappeared in his junior year, and finally showed up in our college during his sophomore year. He's more silent now, and twice as vicious when provoked." The car moved forward at the green light; Neji's eyes darted to the road. "Hinata… stay away from him. He's dangerous."

"He'll be my patient Neji. The least I can do is be there and be patient with him."

---

Another semi-filler, though the first day if finally done. The more serious office stuff will start next update. Sorry about the lack of updates, I was busy, and I was slacking. Hopefully, I'll get another update before my break ends. It's past three when I'm writing, I'm tired. Out.

EDIT: look here. So far, 45 hits, one review. This irks me very much. If I was polite and in a good mood, I would say "reviews are appreciated". But it's not just that. It's "reviews are appreciated and demanded or I'll dump the whole updating idea".


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